Captain America: Super Soldier Preview

For history’s sake, Captain America debuted back in 1941, when the US was in the midst of World War II. The superhero was actually created to help fight the Nazis and although he has since battled all sorts of supernatural comic book villains, Next Level Games and Sega wish to return the icon to its roots. Firstly, we should tell you that the game currently in development is not based on the film; the setting is the same – i.e., Captain America in WWII – but while the film deals with the genesis of the story, the game deals with the superhero’s mastery and acceptance of his abilities. At its core Captain America: Super Soldier is a third-person action game, and will soon pique the interest of those in attendance at the upcoming New York Comic-Con. The same demo, which IGN has already seen, shows the Captain infiltrating the castle of the infamous Arnim Zola and bashing on some baddies.

Obviously, Captain America himself will be the focal point. The guy can’t fly, but he’s still extremely fast and agile; the hero who was once Steve Rogers took an experimental serum and as a result, he has become quite the athlete. His speed and combined strength will allow him to leap over foes and nail them from behind, and we may even see some acrobatic platforming as well. In terms of combat, you might know what to expect: melee, up-close-and-personal, and just plain brutal. We’ll be able to do everything from quick jabs to full grabs and counters and of course, that shield will take center stage quite often. Not only will it block most anything – including bullets – but it can also be chucked at enemies ala boomerang style. As it’s essentially this hero’s weapon, we’re hoping it can be upgraded…who wants a sharp edge on it? Remember Kung Lao’s hat…?

The acrobatic nature of the gameplay might separate Super Soldier from the rest of the action pack. Captain America will be able to utilize his surroundings to execute fresh, powerful moves, and that could include swinging off a pole and smacking into a horde of attackers. Once you’ve wrapped your mind around the basics and accepted that your acrobatics can add a nice twist to the combat, you can turn your attention to other features. There’s the Tactical Vision mode, for instance, that will remind you of the Detective Mode in Batman: Arkham Asylum, and that’ll add some much-appreciated depth. Basically, it’ll be used to point out objectives, possible aggressors, and even hidden goodies. We’re not sure if exploration will be a big factor but right now, it seems obvious that the game will live and die by the combat mechanic.

I mean, with something called Crippling Strike, this old-fashioned superhero will be able to dominate his opponents. As you beat on enemies, a meter will fill and with each full segment, you can execute a Crippling Strike. These are insta-knockouts that will cause time to slow and give you a bad-ass look at the superhero’s skills. They’ve got quite the solid foundation for this one, don’t you think? We sort of get the feeling that the story may take a back seat in this particular production, but provided the gameplay is as entertaining as it sounds, we ought to be satisfied with the final product. If you’re wondering what Next Level Games has produced, they have the recent Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii on their resume, as well as Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Super Mario Strikers, and NHL Hitz Pro. For our part, we just want a capable superhero action game that delivers what it promises. That isn’t too much to ask, right?

This could be fun, but I'm a little worried about the combat getting repetitive. The latest Wolverine game had some fun combat but it did not take long for it to get old. The recycled environments didn't help either.

It was still one of the better movie games though you have to admit. If it revolve a lot more around the comics than it did the movie then it definitely would more likely turned out be one of the best comic book games.

I'm a bit relieved knowing this won't be the Captain's "origin story" game. I think it was Radical Entertainment that made the half-decent(Ang Lee) Hulk movie video game. Right after that they made a game based on the original comics that turned out great though. I remember one review said "it may have taken the developer two tries" 'but this game is great' or something like that. XD

It could possibly turn out to be one of the better superhero games, but with a track record of mediocre games I just don't know, I still think they should have handed this project to the guys that did the wolverine movie game.Last edited by GuyverLT on 10/7/2010 11:04:19 PM

It might turn out to be alot better than iron man 4sure but that's not saying it still won't suck. I'll rent it anyway cause I'm like mindless zombie when it comes to action/adventure games good or bad.Last edited by GuyverLT on 10/7/2010 11:32:08 PM

Could be good. I like the idea of a huge melee system. But then, I'm not much of a fan of comics, so unless this turns out to be a GOTY contender like Batman, I don't think I'll pick it up. I'll probably see the movie though, just to see how it leads into The Avengers. Joss Whedon FTW!
Peace.